The Anambra State government has hinted of its readiness to offset the arrears of pensions and gratuities owed retirees of the Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) and National Light newspapers, saying it was long over due.

The Commissioner for Information and Communication Strategy, Tony Nnachetta, who stated this at a press briefing in Awka, revealed that 385 retirees of the two parastatals would benefit from the arrangement.

Nnachetta said the ABS retirees were owed since 1979, while those of the National Light newspaper retirees had accrued since 1992.He said government would commence payment of the arrears of pensions and gratuities, which amounted to N700 million from the end of this month through May 2018.

He said government regretted the hardships encountered by those who served the state meritoriously without their due reward, adding that never again would any civil servant or retiree in the state experience such.

Nnachetta described the governments’ move as a landmark achievement, pointing out that the issue has lingered through successive administrations from past military to civilian administrations in the state.

He noted that staff of the National Light were now pensionable and would receive their gratuities alongside with their ABS counterparts on retirement.He further revealed that construction work on twelve major roads across the state were ongoing at various levels, despite the dwindling resources while power generation has continued to increase.He announced that the state government was currently handling 181 projects, adding that 175 of the projects would be ready by the end of this month.